Modern Classics

First published in 1924, A Summer on the Test remains an essential read for fly fishermen. No author has surpassed the Right Honourable John Waller Hills' description of classic chalk stream fishing, or indeed knew more about the history of the sport. The Test is a river much affected by decline and deterioration, with the days of crystal clear waters and plentiful brown trout seemingly impossible to recover. A Summer on the Test reflects on the golden age giving an estimation of what it was once like and what we have lost.

Tom Ripley is now the owner of a beautiful estate in France, a wealthy art collector and married to an heiress. The Buckmaster Gallery is staging an exhibition by the celebrated artist Derwatt, but an American collector claims that the expensive masterpiece he bought three years ago is a fake. It is, of course, and he wants to talk to Derwatt - but Derwatt, inconveniently, is dead. Ripley needs the perfect solution to keep his role in the fraud a secret and his reputation clean, but not everyone's nerves are as steady as his.

Long-suffering spy Bernard Samson has, against all the odds, enticed a Soviet agent to defect to London - but this proves to be the start of something even bigger. For he learns that there is treachery within his own Service, and no one is free from suspicion. To discover who really controls the game of spies, he must attempt a desperate gamble. As the Game, Set and Match trilogy reaches its shattering finale, who will make the winning move?

Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, The Unwomanly Face of War is Svetlana Alexievich's collection of stories from Soviet women who lived through the Second World War: on the front lines, on the home front and in occupied territories. As Alexievich gives voice to women who are absent from official narratives - captains, sergeants, nurses, snipers and pilots - she shows us a new version of the war we're so familiar with, creating an extraordinary history from their private stories.

Four more delightful tales from one of the most entertaining storytellers of all time. Though writing in the thirteenth century, Chaucer’s wit and observation comes down undiminished through the ages, especially in this accessible modern verse translation. The stories vary considerably from the uproarious Wife of Bath’s Tale, promoting the power of women to the sober account of patient Griselda in the Clerk’s Tale.

A new translation of the modern Italian classic. Doro, now married and living in Genoa, hasn't seen his old friend — an unmarried high school teacher in his thirties — for far too long. Eager to rekindle their friendship, they decide to spend the summer holidays together in a small village on the Italian Riviera. They are joined by Doro's wife, Clelia, a captivating and unpredictable woman — perhaps too much so for their marriage to endure. What unfolds is a wry comedy of manners, filled with vignettes of life at a seaside resort. Light and airy on the surface, the novella gradually ...

This outstanding collection brings together Orwell's longer, major essays and a fine selection of shorter pieces that includes 'My Country Right or Left', 'Decline of the English Murder', 'Shooting an Elephant' and 'A Hanging'. With great originality and wit Orwell unfolds his views on subjects ranging from a revaluation of Charles Dickens to the nature of socialism, from a comic yet profound discussion of naughty seaside postcards to a spirited defence of English cooking.

Originally appearing in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams captured generations of hearts. But times have changed. In order to connect with a new generation, this beloved tale must change too. Not everything is different though. In this updated edition, we still learn about the magic of love as one little stuffed animal is transformed.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu has been a much-studied work of military strategy for hundreds of years, influencing great leaders in all walks of life. Here, business journalist Mark Smith applies the lessons to the role of the entrepreneur by showing how the axioms of General Sun Tzu apply to creating and expanding a business in a successful and meaningful way.

Someone is killing the women folk of Oakwell, and the body count is growing. The moorland that surrounds the town has begun to relinquish some of its morbid past. Inspector Abaline has been drafted onto the case, to breathe new life into the faltering investigation. Can he unlock the secret of the Devil's Tourniquet before deaths shadow casts its cloak once more over the already terrified residents of Oakwell? Excitement, suspense and mystery. If Hard-Boiled, Traditional British Detective Crime Thrillers, with a light sprinkling of the Occult and Supernatural are your vice. Then welcome to ...

In the frozen wastes north of Russia, a lone seaward vessel seeks the elusive Northwest Passage. Suddenly they sight a dog sled with a gargantuan figure in the shape of a man, driving the dogs northward to sure oblivion. The following day, they find another sled. This sled is filled with a European near death, and when asked what he is chasing, he simply replies, "to seek one who fled from me."

From Plato to Plutarch, Shakespeare to Churchill, Machiavelli to Melville, Jane Austen to Carl Jung, Pericles to Peter Drucker and many more - here are the best leadership ideas of the past 25 centuries. You don't need a big title or a business degree in order to lead with impact. What you need is practical wisdom: the insight, judgment and strength of character that all great leaders have but that most business schools and corporate workshops don't teach.

Miyamoto Musashi was a Japanese swordsman and ronin (masterless samurai). Musashi died in 1645 of what was most likely thoracic cancer. He remained undefeated, having fought 61 duels. His work "The Book of Five Rings" is a treatise on his unique style of swordsmanship. Musashi also practiced other arts such as painting, poetry, and carpentry, and believed to be profoundly releated at the level of mastery.

In this audiobook on philosophers, several fascinating thinkers will be covered. Their inspiring and debatable thoughts will give you new insights in life and death and in ethics and morals. First, the political philosophers John Locke will be explored. Mr. Locke was the libertarian who said something when things appeared to go in the wrong direction.

Lady Charlotte French-McGrath has successfully ruled over her family with a rod of iron until the arrival of Cynthia: beautiful, young, talented, selfish - and engaged to her son, Desmond. When Cynthia enters the Jazz Age, on the surface her life passes in a whirl of hunting, drinking and romance. But the ghosts of Garonlea are only biding their time: they know the source of their power, a secret handed on from one generation to the next.

Peter and Paul, the two sons of German businessman Harald Winter, are bonded together by a childhood trauma. But as they grow up, the brothers also grow apart. When the shadow of the Third Reich falls, they become divided by war and their differing ideals - only to meet again years later at the Nuremberg trials. An epic prelude to the Bernard Samson Game, Set and Match trilogy, Winter is a rich, tragic portrait of the fortunes of a family, and a nation, over half a century.

Discover the Transformative Power of Journaling! Are you ready to uncover the best version of yourself? How to Journal for Beginners by Robert Ransom is your ultimate guide to unlocking personal growth, self-awareness, and creativity through the timeless practice of journaling. This beginner-friendly book dives into both classic and modern journaling methods, offering a wealth of practical tips to help you reflect, grow, and thrive. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or have never put pen to paper, this book equips you with the tools to start—and sustain—a fulfilling journaling habit.

Nicky Marlow needs a job. He's engaged to be married and the employment market in Britain in 1937 is pretty slim. So when his fiancée points out the position with an English armaments manufacturer in Italy, he jumps at the chance. Soon after he arrives, however, he learns the sinister truth about his predecessor's departure and finds himself courted by two agents with dangerously different agendas. In the process, Marlow realises that it's not so simple just to do the job he's paid for - not in fascist Italy, on the eve of a world war.

When Tom Sawyer and his best friend, Huck Finn, witness a murder in a cemetery, they become the key to an innocent man’s freedom. Sworn to a blood oath, Tom is forced to choose between friendship and justice at the risk of endangering the lives of his buddy, himself, and his adopted family.

In this modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, 13-year-old foster children Griselda and Holden escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety, but the other is left behind. Ten years later, Griselda's boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match, and her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.